Compare Captopril vs. Lopressor

Head-to-head comparisons of medication uses, side effects, ratings, and more.

Lowers blood pressure. Captopril is a good blood pressure-lowering medicine that protects kidney function, but you have to take it on an empty stomach.

Lowers blood pressure and controls heart rate. Lopressor (Metoprolol Tartrate) is good for controlling chest pain and treating heart failure and heart attack. You have to take it with food, and you can't miss doses.

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Captopril is an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. It blocks a chemical that tightens blood vessels. This makes blood vessels relax, which lowers blood pressure and allows more blood and oxygen to get to your heart and other organs.

› A first-choice treatment for heart attack. Lowers the risk of death during and after a heart attack.

Downsides and risks

Captopril

Lopressor

› Up to 1 in 10 people can get a dry cough with this medicine. It ranges from a mild tickle in the throat to a persistent hacking cough.

› Compared to other ACE inhibitors, less flexible on when and how you take it. Captopril needs to be taken multiple times a day on an empty stomach.

› Requires a yearly blood test to see how the medicine is affecting your body.

› Not safe to use if you're pregnant.

› Metoprolol tartrate is the immediate release version of Toprol XL. You have to take Metoprolol tartrate with food for it to work best. (On the other hand, you can take Toprol XL any time.)

› Taking a beta blocker might make you feel more tired or out of breath during exercise or normal daily routines. This gets better for most people, but for some might not go away.

› Not a first-choice treatment for high blood pressure according to the latest guidelines, except if you have heart failure or heart disease. As a second choice, your doctor might add it to medicines you're already taking if your blood pressure is still too high.